The Olympic team's dramatic Asian Games penalty shoot-out win over a North Korea side which included seven players from their World Cup squad has raised hopes of qualifying for London 2012 and the 2014 World Cup.
This crop of Emiratis have been labelled as the country's "golden generation", having won the Under 16 Gulf Cup in 2006, the U19 Asian Cup in 2008 and the U23 Gulf Cup in August.
They enhanced their reputation with a 9-8 spot-kick victory on Friday to set up a semi-final showdown for coach Mahdi Ali's side with South Korea on Tuesday.
The UAE had never gone beyond the group stage in the previous five Asian Games.
"There is absolutely no doubt it was one of their most significant victories," said Fahad Ali, the former UAE captain and now a football analyst. "They are already a vastly experienced and successful squad in the age-group competitions, but this win over the Koreans makes them even better. They certainly are on the right path to take the country's ambitions of playing in next year's London Olympics and later carry on the nation's hope of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup."
Bernard Schumm, the Football Association's director of coaching and youth development, believes two factors have contributed towards the success of this team.
"It was their experience and mental strength," Schumm said. "This team has been together for more than five years and they have had a lot of success in the age-group competitions, and that success is now their mental strength, which means they refuse to lose."
Schumm felt the sides were almost perfectly equal. "At the end, it was left for one player to have a little more concentration and confidence than the Korean player," the German said.
"Ali Kasheif (the UAE goalkeeper) did well to save one of the spot kicks, and Mohammed al Shehhi used all of his experience to finish it off when it came to his turn. Incidentally or coincidentally, he was at the right place at the right time. It seemed he was saved for the right moment.
"The Koreans may have had seven of their players from their World Cup squad, but don't forget this UAE team is almost like their national team without Ismail Matar, Subait Khater and Majed Naser, the goalkeeper.
"I saw it as two full national teams, and they both played a highly technical game in all aspects to cancel out each other in tactics, skills and the physical abilities. Both teams could have won when it went to the penalty shoot out."
Meanwhile, Saif Mohammed, the Al Ain midfielder, has pulled out of the senior national team squad who depart for Yemen this morning for the Gulf Cup.
He is replaced by Ali Mabkhout, the attacking midfielder from Al Jazira, and Al Wasl's Fadhel Ahmed, who has been included as cover. The UAE play Iraq in their Group B match on Tuesday.
apassela@thenational.ae
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The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
The specs: 2018 Maserati Ghibli
Price, base / as tested: Dh269,000 / Dh369,000
Engine: 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged V6
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 355hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 4,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.9L / 100km
Ads on social media can 'normalise' drugs
A UK report on youth social media habits commissioned by advocacy group Volteface found a quarter of young people were exposed to illegal drug dealers on social media.
The poll of 2,006 people aged 16-24 assessed their exposure to drug dealers online in a nationally representative survey.
Of those admitting to seeing drugs for sale online, 56 per cent saw them advertised on Snapchat, 55 per cent on Instagram and 47 per cent on Facebook.
Cannabis was the drug most pushed by online dealers, with 63 per cent of survey respondents claiming to have seen adverts on social media for the drug, followed by cocaine (26 per cent) and MDMA/ecstasy, with 24 per cent of people.
War
Director: Siddharth Anand
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff, Ashutosh Rana, Vaani Kapoor
Rating: Two out of five stars
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The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
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If you go
Flight connections to Ulaanbaatar are available through a variety of hubs, including Seoul and Beijing, with airlines including Mongolian Airlines and Korean Air. While some nationalities, such as Americans, don’t need a tourist visa for Mongolia, others, including UAE citizens, can obtain a visa on arrival, while others including UK citizens, need to obtain a visa in advance. Contact the Mongolian Embassy in the UAE for more information.
Nomadic Road offers expedition-style trips to Mongolia in January and August, and other destinations during most other months. Its nine-day August 2020 Mongolia trip will cost from $5,250 per person based on two sharing, including airport transfers, two nights’ hotel accommodation in Ulaanbaatar, vehicle rental, fuel, third party vehicle liability insurance, the services of a guide and support team, accommodation, food and entrance fees; nomadicroad.com
A fully guided three-day, two-night itinerary at Three Camel Lodge costs from $2,420 per person based on two sharing, including airport transfers, accommodation, meals and excursions including the Yol Valley and Flaming Cliffs. A return internal flight from Ulaanbaatar to Dalanzadgad costs $300 per person and the flight takes 90 minutes each way; threecamellodge.com
The 10 Questions
- Is there a God?
- How did it all begin?
- What is inside a black hole?
- Can we predict the future?
- Is time travel possible?
- Will we survive on Earth?
- Is there other intelligent life in the universe?
- Should we colonise space?
- Will artificial intelligence outsmart us?
- How do we shape the future?
Scoreline
Swansea 2
Grimes 20' (pen), Celina, 29'
Man City 3
Silva 69', Nordfeldt 78' (og), Aguero 88'
England's all-time record goalscorers:
Wayne Rooney 53
Bobby Charlton 49
Gary Lineker 48
Jimmy Greaves 44
Michael Owen 40
Tom Finney 30
Nat Lofthouse 30
Alan Shearer 30
Viv Woodward 29
Frank Lampard 29
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid